Unintentional Sights

 I have three main types of sightseeing that I do.  First is when I have particular sights I want to see, like going to the falls, taking the HOHO bus, tours in various places.  I also sightsee when I don't know where I am.  Of course, I also try to find some type of location signal to help find myself, but being lost can be great for finding new things.  I also sightsee when running errands or just hanging out in parks.  I refer to sightseeing when lost, running errands, or just hanging out as unintentional sightseeing because I am not intending to see what I'm seeing.  It's just there or close.  There has been a lot of unintentional sightseeing in Buenos Aires!

One of my errands was to go to Florida Street to change some money.  Argentina has some significant currency controls, and inflation is currently in the 80+% range.  Because of those two things, there is a black market on currency exchange here.  You can exchange dollars (or other currencies) for Argentinean pesos at the official bank rate at somewhere around 150 pesos to the dollar.  Or you can go to the black market, find a "casa de cambio", and take advantage of the blue dollar rate, which is currently sitting around 290 pesos to the dollar.  Some bloggers have made the blue dollar exchange process in Buenos Aires sound sketchy.  I can understand how some may think it is, but it is, in fact, quite safe.  Most of the casas de cambio are on Florida Street, which is a foot-traffic-only street in downtown Buenos Aires.  It's lined with shops and restaurants, everything from souvenirs to leather shops to jewelry stores to sex shops to clothing stores and everything in between.  Just for references, there are also sex shops on Avenida Santa Fe, another major shopping street in Buenos Aires, closer to (and partially in) Palermo, which is considered a good neighborhood.  While I didn't go in any of the sex shops, they appeared to be no different than the adult toy stores scattered throughout the US and most countries.  The money changers will stand in the street shouting, "Cambio," or some version, often including that they'll exchange dollars or euro or other currencies.  To make the exchange, you simply ask them what their rate is, and if you agree with that rate (which does appear to be somewhat negotiable if you have checked the official blue rate beforehand), they will lead you into one of the galleria-type storefronts to their particular office to make the exchange.  Unlike what many bloggers are leading folks to believe, this is not so they can rob you once they get you into their office.  It is, in fact, for your safety.  Just think about whether you would want to be exchanging large quantities of cash in the middle of a busy street in a large city!  Those are your options.  Exchange your cash (the larger the bills, the better the rate) in front of everybody on the street, including the pickpockets and thieves, or go into a private office to count your money in private.  If you are concerned, go in the morning instead of the evening.  Most petty thieves are still asleep, as they tend to be more active at night.  And Florida Street is known for having pickpockets and petty thieves around, but it's an awesome and active place to be.  Lots of outdoor cafes and parillas, or if fast food is more you style, on almost any street in Buenos Aires, you will stumble over a McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King, Mostaza, KFC, or Kentucky Pizzeria within mere steps.  I could not believe how many there were all over the city.  I mean, there are 5 or 6 within easy walking distance from my AirBNB, which is in a residential area!  There appears to be a higher saturation of fast food here than anywhere I have ever been before. And, I admit to getting an urge for a taste of home. If Wendy's offers a Philly burger near you, I suggest you get it. It's delicious! Anyway, don't be afraid to change your money for the blue dollar on Florida Street.  It's as safe as going to a bank.  You just get a better deal! This picture is in the morning.  By noon, the street is filled with people!  I was there a couple of times at different times of the day.

The first time I went to exchange money, I learned that the monument to the heroes who died in the Falkland War was nearby.  Therefore, it seemed like a fine time to go by there!  In Argentina, the Falklands are known as Los Islas de Malvinas, and the Argentine people clearly believe England stole those islands from them and that Los Malvinas are part of Argentina.  In fact, there are signs on the busses that declare such as well as signs on buildings close to the Casa Rosada.

There are monuments in various places in the country to the heros of the Malvinas, dead and alive. This particular monument is to those who died. The names of the fallen are inscribed on the wall behind the guards. They are sorted by province with the name of the province and the crest for that province in front of that list of names. There are benches for people to sit in and contemplate the fallen and the guards change out periodically. I do not know the frequency, but I got lucky.

After looking at the monument, I was sitting in the park taking pictures of these little green parakeets.

I looked back toward the upper elevation of the park and saw the procession of the new guards coming down the stairs. So, I headed back to the monument. I got there in time to catch the changing of the guard ceremony!

The irony of the whole thing is that directly across the street, facing this monument, is a clock tower that was a gift to Buenos Aires by the local British community back in the early 1900s. After the war in 1982, the name of this tower was changed to Torre Monumento from Torre de los Ingleses. I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees the irony here. In fact, it is said that sometimes anti-British grafitti is painted on the tower. I have to wonder if the placement of the monument to the Malvinas was intentional. Fun fact, planes from Argentina are not allowed to land in the Falklands. If you want to fly to the Falklands/Malvinas, you have to fly from Chile or some other country. With the animosity, I'm surprised cruises from Argentina are able to dock in the Falklands, though cruise ships that are flagged from Argentina may not.

I spent time in lots of different parks, just people watching and enjoying the beautiful weather. Did I mention there is statuary everywhere? They even have a monument to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a small park close to my AirBNB!

By far, the most popular and well known is the monument to the Magna Carta and the Four Regions of Argentina. Unfortunately, the base is covered by scaffolding, as they are doing maintenance on it, but since it is a multi-dimensional monument, I took photos of all sides from which it was safe. It sits in the center of a roundabout in one of the major streets of the city.

There were multiple other random statues and monuments that I thought were worth showing, too.

On the evening I planned to take a tango lesson, I had heard that there was a milonga (community tango dance) with lessons before at La Glorieta in Belgrano. So, I caught a bus and headed to La Glorieta. When I got there, a group was using it as a place to work on their Cyr wheel acrobatics. It was amazing to watch!

I asked around, and there was no milonga there that night. Only on the weekends now. But never fear! In Buenos Aires, there are ALWAYS tango lessons available (usually at night) somewhere! So, I found a lesson for that night followed by a milonga in a small studio basically across the street from the Plaza Inmigrantes del Armenia! I didn't get videos of the finished product, after I got the hang of "the cross" (which is the most basic of footwork), but here is an early attempt, learning more of the dancing together, but side-by-side, without being a line dance! I'm pretty proud of myself!

 

And now, it's time to rest. There is still a lot to see of Buenos Aires, but I must take some down time, as there is still a lot of this trip to go.  I must be content to know I simply cannot see it all. I'm taking some rest time, doing some laundry, and repacking everything. Next stop - Antarctica!